Kyle Van Noy has the identical query you do.
How the heck was he obtainable for the Ravens to register late September?
Two months in the past, earlier than he grew to become an unlikely sack machine for the Ravens, Van Noy was caught ready for a staff to come back calling.
“I mean, what are we doing?” Van Noy recollects considering as he sat at residence with the NFL season starting with out him. “Are people watching the film and whatnot? Because I’ve produced and, you know, you get a little annoyed cause you’re, like, watching and you’re saying I can’t play?”
Van Noy is on the improper facet of 30 and not within the prime he was in when he performed for Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots groups in 2016 and 2018. But he ended final season with the Los Angeles Chargers on a excessive notice and stated it was “frustrating” when NFL groups didn’t appear concerned with him this offseason.
“I’ve made plays everywhere I’ve gone, doesn’t matter what team it’s been,” Van Noy stated, noting an exception for his first cease within the NFL with the Detroit Lions.
After going unsigned all through the offseason, coaching camp, preseason and the primary few weeks of the common season, the Ravens wanted assist at outdoors linebacker and signed Van Noy to their follow squad. He stated the Las Vegas Raiders have been additionally involved with him however that he selected the Ravens as a result of he believed it might be a greater match.
Six weeks later, it’s exhausting to think about the NFL’s high protection with out him.
“He’s the player that we anticipated him being,” defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald stated. “The things that he’s done over the course of his career, he’s doing here. He’s playing obviously at a high level, but he’s the type of player that I expected him to be. So, credit to him for being ready to go. I don’t mean that to take anything away, but that’s how highly I thought of him.”
In six video games with the Ravens, the 32-year-old outdoors linebacker has 5 sacks, all prior to now 4 contests, whereas enjoying about half the protection’s snaps. He ranks second in sacks behind Justin Madubuike (7 1/2) for a Baltimore protection that leads the NFL within the class at slightly below 4 per sport.
Van Noy isn’t shocked by how rapidly he caught on in Baltimore.
“I pride myself on having a high IQ,” he stated. “You can ask anybody, and I think they’d tell you I’m a smart football player. I take pride in that. I take pride in being a professional. I tried to learn the defense in a week, so I feel like I got a good grasp on it. I know what everyone’s doing and where I fit in.”
His significance was by no means extra apparent than in Sunday’s 37-3 rout of the Seattle Seahawks.
There may not have been a standard turning level within the blowout victory, but when there was one, it was Van Noy’s back-to-back sacks — the second forcing a fumble — within the second quarter.
Ravens large receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had simply fumbled close to midfield to offer the Seahawks an opportunity to attain and acquire momentum heading into halftime. But Van Noy ensured that wouldn’t be the case, speeding previous Seattle left deal with Charles Cross and slapping the ball out of quarterback Geno Smith’s hand earlier than he might try a go.
The play stood out to teach John Harbaugh a lot that he talked about it throughout his Monday information convention after answering a query about backup tight finish Isaiah Likely.
“One thing I also want to mention is Kyle Van Noy,” Harbaugh stated. “Didn’t get an opportunity to say him [Sunday]. How concerning the swing of occasions that he led on the finish of the half, proper? Probably flipped the sport or broke the sport in a means. It stored them from getting again inside one rating, simply loopy good go rush proper there.
“So, side note: Kyle was awesome.”
In his first sport with the Ravens, Van Noy totaled 4 quarterback pressures and obtained his palms on two passes whereas enjoying 23 snaps in opposition to the Cleveland Browns in Week 4 — simply 5 days after his first follow. He obtained residence two weeks later with a sack in Baltimore’s win over the Tennessee Titans, and two extra (with 5 tackles) versus the Lions. Going again to final season with the Chargers, Van Noy has 10 sacks in his previous 11 regular-season video games.
He is much from the primary veteran go rusher to make an affect in Baltimore. From Justin Houston, Jason Pierre-Paul and Calais Campbell in recent times to Pernell McPhee’s second stint with the staff just a few seasons in the past to Chris Canty a decade in the past, the Ravens have prided themselves on having veterans to bolster their protection. This yr, Van Noy and Jadeveon Clowney, who signed in August, make up that group with David Ojabo on injured reserve, Tyus Bowser on the non-football damage record and Odafe Oweh lacking 4 video games due to damage.
Oweh, a third-year outdoors linebacker and 2021 first-round choose, stated the “chemistry” among the many staff’s go rushers is among the many causes the Ravens lead the NFL in sacks.
“I learn different things from different vets,” Oweh stated Wednesday. “[Clowney] is more like a [Pierre-Paul] mold. He’s going to play [all] out and just go hard. [Van Noy] is the [strong-side linebacker] prototype. He just knows everything, coverages, [he’s] savvy, just little things like that that you can really add to your game to get more just to get more plays.”
Whether Van Noy maintains his torrid sack tempo, he’s proved there’s extra in his tank. And the truth that different groups questioned that has maybe given him the motivation to maintain making the “game-changing plays” he knew he was nonetheless able to months in the past.
“Who needs training camp?” Van Noy quipped Sunday after one other large efficiency in a Ravens win.
Clearly not Van Noy.
Baltimore Sun reporter Brian Wacker contributed to this text.
Week 10
Browns at Ravens
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Fox
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 6 1/2
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Source: www.bostonherald.com